Investing in degrees

The number of students who graduate will show whether higher fees has put
young people off university

6:59AM BST 11 Aug 2012

SIR – Almost one in 20 students are put off applying to university by rising tuition fees, according to a report (August 9). I suggest that the acid test is not the number applying but the number who graduate. Those who enjoyed university education at the taxpayers’ expense had a higher drop-out rate than those who would have wasted their parents’ money by skipping lectures.

I suspect that those who pay for the privilege will continue to be more likely to stay the course and the graduate output will be practically unchanged.

Brian Tordoff Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire

SIR – Teenagers should carefully consider their decisions rather than embarking on a university degree with little thought about what comes after. Those who take a non-graduate route into accountancy often have the same or greater salary than a graduate but without debt round their necks.

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SIR – My university graduate son and his university graduate girlfriend are to be married. They both incurred the maximum tuition fees, so their combined debt on the day they unite will be £54,000. How can they hope to build a future with such a burden of debt hanging over their heads?

No wonder there has been a drop in the number of students applying for places.

John Smith Norwich

Man vs machine

SIR – We have a dishwasher (Letters, August 10), still working well after 50 years. We call him Peter.

Peter James Charlton Kings, Gloucestershire

Guard donkey

SIR – Why bother about llamas (Letters, August 8), when donkeys are just as good – if not better – and certainly cheaper?

Some years ago I was walking across a field in Shropshire when I encountered a large flock of sheep and a donkey. I had my English pointer on a lead alongside me. The donkey charged us, so I let the dog off the lead. Ignoring me, the donkey chased after him and tried to trample him. At one point he actually bowled my dog over and tried to jump on him. My dog saw sense and scampered out of the field.

Later, I told the farmer what had happened and he was chuffed, as he meant the donkey to keep dogs and foxes at bay.

If you have a dog on a lead and you are threatened by cows or other animals, let the dog off. On his own, he will easily be able to avoid trouble. Had I kept my dog on the lead, he could have died, and I could have been injured.

Keith Phillips Manton, Wiltshire

Now leaving Leningrad

SIR – Your readers debate the pronunciation and changing of city names (Letters, August 9). A few years ago my wife and I flew to Ho Chi Minh City. After a few days, we asked our guide why local people tended to use the previous name, Saigon. Well, he replied, how would you like to be told to call London “Tony Blair City”?

SIR – Having watched the situation in Japan over many years, I am convinced that there is a point at which significant interest rate increases would be beneficial.

In the period where the interest rate lever was the key to economic activity, the perceived wisdom was predicated on there being a two-way movement to indicate the Bank of England’s intentions. That has gone. It appears to be possible that ultra-low interest rates cause deflation, whereas the conventional view is that reducing interest rates promotes growth.

Lack of borrowing is due to lack of demand (who would borrow to invest into the falling-demand scenario flagged by ultra-low interest rates?) and it would greatly assist demand if interest rates to savers were increased.

The current, unreal, level of base rate is harming pension funds, savers and the economy in general.

Ian Rushton Hatfield Broad Oak, Essex

SIR – Jeremy Warner suggests the qualifications for governor of the Bank of England include unmatched knowledge of economics, in-depth experience of banking and finance, exceptional communications and media skills, outstanding administrative abilities, proven leadership qualities and an ability to transcend the political divide (Comment, August 9).

Only a deity would fit the bill. Why not instead consider a troika of wise men who together encompass these skills?

Professor Ivan Roitt London NW11

SIR – As the banks are clearly not interested in lending to low-interest customers, but continue to gamble on the markets or feed their balance sheets, why not lower the basic tax rate and allow us to decide how to feed this into the economy?

Anthony A Penn Mobberley, Cheshire

Helping town gulls find a place in the country

SIR – The recent correspondence about gulls nesting in towns (Letters, August 10) highlights widespread misunderstanding about these birds.

Almost all of their food is found outside of towns, mostly at sea, in fields or at landfill sites, ranging up to 30 miles from their nesting sites. Only a few individuals have become specialist town feeders. Gulls started nesting on buildings because they were safe places to breed and, in many towns, this continues to be the case.

There were fewer than 200 pairs of herring gulls nesting in England and Wales in 1900. This was followed by a population explosion, increasing to well beyond 100,000 pairs by 1975.

The obvious way to eliminate gulls from towns is by culling, but this is not permitted. Driving gulls from towns by non-lethal methods is possible, but where would they go?

They need to be offered alternative nearby nesting sites. A gull-nesting reserve should be created adjacent to each town with gull problems. An area could be fenced off to prevent foxes, dogs and humans from reaching the nesting birds. Gulls could be lured to these areas by taped calls and by feeding at the reserve, which could have fresh water for them to drink and bathe in, while being driven off the buildings in the town by repeated removal of nests and eggs.

Such reserves could even become tourist attractions with viewing platforms.